dorkman53

Definitely I'll be using "buy it now". It's only $3500 more than the initial asking price, and I can be sure that the dozens of other people who will bid on this bargain don't get there in front of me! By the way, it would require "Grand Theft" to afford this white elephant.

My current 3 wood, a Nakashima 15 degree, has an Apache MFS 75 shaft. It's the best head/shaft combination I've found in a 3 wood.

Another vote for Scratch in either Brushed Nickel or Satin Chrome. Gorgeous aesthetically, and the most accurate, versatile, and easiest to hit wedge I've ever owned.

I tried a 395 with an appropriate flex with a top quality Apache Matrix shaft and couldn't control it at all. Hook, hook, pull, then I'd try to correct and go right. I just couldn't hit it straight. My Nakashima 420 with the Apache MFS 75 hits straight all day as long as I don't tighten up my forearms and/or overswing.

I've had my 50/55/60 Scratch wedges for a couple of weeks now. I'm still in the "dialing in" process regarding distances for full and partial shots, and learning which ones work best in certain turf situations. They definitely are an improvement over what I had before, but I can't say yet how many strokes/round I may or may not save at this time. I'm absolutely more confident about some types of shots than previously (bunkers, particularly), but others are still a "work in progress". I suspect it takes a several weeks to really get comfortable with a wedge set.

I had a set of Mizuno MX-23's and replaced them with Tourstage TS 202's. The Mizunos are fine clubs, but the Tourstages are just (IMO) more beautiful, equally forgiving, and are more accurate in my hands. However, the shafts I have on the Tourstages are stiffer, lower torque, and heavier, so it isn't a truly fair comparison (Mizuno Exsars vs. Apache MFS 115's). Suffice it to say that I really liked my Mizunos, but I'm ecstatic about my TS 202's.

I have the Apache 75 MFS on my Nakashima 420 driver at 44", and I'm hitting it at least as far as any 45" or 46" shaft I've ever used, plus getting better control. Longer shafts don't necessarily guarantee longer drives; the opposite can be true (within limits, obviously) because of increased likelihood of hitting the sweet spot with a shorter, more controllable shaft.

I just had the MFS 115's put on my Tourstage TS 202's, and they are truly outstanding. I sent Keith at MisterOz golf an 8 iron with a Dynamic Golf S-300 and asked him to replicate the flex and swingweight as closely as possible, since I was hitting it very accurately but wanted graphite to decrease the long term wear and tear on my elbows and wrists. He ended up using X-3 stiffness, tipped, but did an outstanding job in reproducing the control and accuracy of the DG's, while the Apaches just feel much sweeter and livelier. I've had GAT 95's on MacGregor 1025 C's and GAT 115's on wedges, but these Apaches just feel crisper and smoother, without the slightest loss of accuracy. These shafts are fabulous, if you are willing to spring for the extra $$$ for top quality graphite.

Another vote for the Tourstage TS 202's. They're gorgeous, very soft feeling, and for me are very accurate and forgiving.

I'm with Alcap26. The chrome wedges look great, but I'll be happy when my satin chromes arrive. ("Soon"? he asked hopefully!) I do like my wedges either dark colored or a matte/satin finish because of the glare issue. I've been in the situation before where a chrome wedge makes a perfect mirror at the perfect angle to blind me at address. (A "perfect club"?)

I've gone to a 44" shaft on my Nakashima 420, and I can control it better than any 45" or 46" I've had in the past. The "trade off" is.......let's see.....no loss of distance........better control........there isn't a trade off for me!

I've demo'd a Maruman driver at a driving range where the owner sells mostly OEM stuff but also gets some more exotic equipment from Japan. It was a very beautiful head and felt solid, but the particular shaft I tried was too soft and had too high torque. With an appropriate shaft, it would have been a very nice club. I'm not sure about the price, but they aren't cheap.

The MFS 75 works great in my Nakashima 420 driver. Especially with it cut to 44", I have more control with it, and I'm finding the fairways a higher percentage of the time without loss of distance. I think that with better control I'm hitting the sweet spot (which is large anyway with the Nakashima) more frequently, which more than outweighs any small detrimental effect on distance due to the shorter shaft.

The stock Nakashima shafts were OK, but I want a little more control so I'm in the process of getting them reshafted with the Apache MFS 75 shafts. The main advantage of the Nakashima in my opinion is the very convex sole. This allows greater ease with bad lies vs. the flatter sole with the Precept 2-EZ's. Both are excellent clubs. I'm also getting one Hogan 24 degree to throw into the mix before I make my final decisions on hybrids (Taylormade Rescue Mids, Precept 2-EZ, Nakashima hybrids, and the Hogan hybrid.) I'll be able to say more in 10-14 days.

Here's a link to the website, if that's of any help. http://www.gdintl.com/shaftM.htm#gatseries

It looks like "Dr. Sato" "invented" what Sonartec and MacGregor V-Foils have been doing for a while. Apparently there is a cutout section toward the back of the sole which probably increases perimeter weighting.

I just recently got both a Gemini 395 and a Nakashima 420 with the expectation that I'd try both and keep the winner. I got the Gemini with the Apache Matrix 65 at 45" in the S-1 subflex, mid trajectory shaft. The Nakashima 420 has the Apache MFS 75 in S-3 with the low trajectory option, and is at 44". Both are quality shafts and quality heads, but one worked for me and the other didn't. The Gemini is very attractive and feels very sweet on contact, but for some reason I just wasn't able to control the direction of the ball on 3 different driving range sessions. It was reasonably long, but I was all over the place with direction, and lots of hooks. Maybe I was trying to overswing to get distance. Anyway, it didn't work, and it is now in the hands of someone from e-bay who will undoubtedly hit it far better than I did. The Nakashima 420 was the clear winner in my hands. The distance is easily as good as my prior SMT 455 DB with an AJ Tech Raw Gold at 46", but it is so much more controllable with the heavier, shorter, higher kickpoint shaft. The Nak sounds like a muted "thwock" and it's always surprising to me how far the ball is flying and rolling vs. the relatively quiet, solid, Titleist-like sound. The face is very deep so I can easily adjust the intended trajectory based on tee height selection. I really loved the SMT/AJ Tech, but I'm just so much more consistent with a "control" shaft, without losing any distance. It's the driver in my bag for the time being (until I club ho again, and again, etc. ad infinitum, ad nauseum).

Yeah, its getting to be an expensive c lub Mike!! And on my signature you can see what the bag is right now, I'm gonna have to sell my truck soon to start paying for all this. But I do hae to say I love this site and find it to be very informative, even though I'm going broke because of it. :D Don't sell your truck. Do what I did. Make your wife and daughter work as street walkers to support your golf habit!

The long irons in the TS 202's are the easiest long irons to hit I've ever experienced. I think the combination of the leading edge relief, high MOI and lower center of gravity with the tungsten weight all contribute fact that these are the only long irons I've EVER been able to hit with any distance or accuracy. I'm mixing the long iron lofts between Nakashima hybrids and TS 202's to vary both distance and trajectory (higher trajectory with the hybrids, lower with the long irons; good for windy days) and the ability to hit out of poor lies (advantage hybrids). It's a very versatile setup that works for me.

I'm a believer! I've had my Tourstage TS 202's now for a few weeks, and have had plenty of practice sessions and played many rounds during that time. They are sweet feeling, accurate, forgiving, and an aesthetic delight. Regarding Scratch, Ari made a 60 degree wedge to my specifications which works beautifully, and now we have a 50, 55, and a 60 (in the satin chrome for durability) in the works. The Scratch wedge is both gorgeous and very easy for me to hit accurately (within the limits of my abilities!). Great customer service with Scratch. (The opposite is true for Tourstage/Bridgestone/Precept, unfortunately. I defy you to get through to their customer service department, if they have one! Great clubs, poorly marketed)

I don't think you'd go wrong with the TS 202's. I demo'd the Cobra forged, and they are sweet. But I think you'd like the 202's even better, especially if you are looking for a bit of forgiveness.

.355" taper tip

How is the Tourstage F/UT different or similar to the Precept 2-EZ?

Are the TS 202's .370" parallel or .355" tapers?